Garris Elkins:
The Elijah List
At my age and length of service in God's Kingdom, I am now what some people would call a spiritual father. In most gatherings I am one of the older pastors in the room. As we age, wisdom can increasingly be present and in operation in our lives if we have allowed God access to our hearts along the way in our journey of faith.
A spiritual father should be able to speak words of wisdom, but he should also be able to reveal the heart of God out of which that wisdom was birthed. Understanding God's heart is what motivates our obedience. Wisdom, without knowing God's heart, is a limited understanding of wisdom.
For the last month the Lord has been asking me as a spiritual father to join with Him to encourage His Church to believe for something new. He began to give me simple sentences of understanding, and then a few days later He would reveal His heart behind each of those words. This deeper revelation helped me understand His heart that motivated His wisdom.
I invite you to read these words delivered by two fathers – an imperfect earthly, spiritual father and a perfect and loving Heavenly Father.
God wants to encourage us to keep believing and trusting that He is good and has good things planned for His children. Understanding this truth is the foundation of true wisdom.
As you walk in honor, God desires to turn your enemies into allies. Those who have opposed you will now come to your rescue. Honor is the victory.
"I am about to do a turnaround. This turnaround will surprise you because you would never think your enemies could become your allies. This is a time to give honor to those who have betrayed you. Once the honor is given, the enemy of your soul that has caused this division will lose his ability to control the outcome.
(Photo via Wikimedia Commons by the Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld and Providence Lithograph Company)
"This will be like the meeting of My sons, Jacob and Esau, years after a great division took place in their relationship. Jacob humbled himself before his offended brother, bowing down before him in humility, and I did a powerful work of restoration. I have this work of restoration planned for you and those defined as your enemy."
At every point of adversity a door of destiny is opened. The threshold of this door can only be crossed with a humble stride.
"There have been places of adversity in your life – places that you now run from. I am calling you to step with humility into these places of adversity, and I will open a supernatural doorway. This doorway is hidden from prideful eyes. Only the humble will see this doorway and walk across its threshold.
Step forward, and I will show you what I am about to do."
After difficult discussions and challenging interaction there has been relational debris left behind. The way forward is found in the debris.
"The world collects debris and calls it garbage. I collect debris and transform it into treasure.
There have been painful outcomes in some of your relationships. What was left behind has been defined as debris. I am about to change your definitions.
(Photo via Flickr by International Labour Organization,license, resized by The Elijah List)
"This is the same kind of debris Peter faced when he failed Me the night of My betrayal. Peter thought his future would be navigated around the constant reminder of his failure. I had another plan.
"If you are looking for the way forward, it will be found in the restoration of those relationships that now look like piles of debris. The restoration you seek will be found by making right your contribution to the failure in those relationships. If you do this, I will show you the treasure I see within the debris."
First Encounter God
New direction is the result of realignment. Realignment only takes place after an encounter with God. Encounter is the priority, not a new direction.
"Your desire for a new direction has replaced your desire for the sound of My voice. Seeking new direction will not bring you peace. Only My voice brings peace. You are in need of realignment, not to a new purpose or direction, but to Me. Encounter Me as My Church did in Antioch when they waited before Me in worship and prayer. Encounter Me and I will reveal to you a new direction."
A word from God loses its impact and becomes diluted when we run it through too many relational or corporate filters before we obey.
"Invite people to your obedience. Do not wait for consensus. You have allowed My word to become diluted in your heart. The filter of man's opinion has strained out the meat of My word from within you. I have prepared a wonderful meal for you. Return to the feasting table of fresh revelation. Put down your fear of failure and your need to have others walk with you in your obedience. I have not left you alone. I am the One who will do what I promised."
(Photo via Flickr by BuzzFarmers,license.)
For real change to take place there must exist both a willingness to let go of the present and a willingness to embrace the future.
"You are holding on when you should be letting go. I have promised to lead you to a good place – a place of blessing and purpose. Do not fear the future you define as 'unknown.' I know this future because I reside there. It is from that place that I am inviting you to come. Your destiny waits for you in My presence. Let go. Come to Me and I will welcome you."
When God is moving and someone says, "We need to slow down," this is fear speaking. Wisdom moves at the speed of revelation.
"My wisdom is not limited to the measurements and restrictions of the natural world. When I gave you the word of hope, I gave it knowing it would seem too fast to you. I was after more than the accomplishment of that word. I was after that place of fear in your heart that caused you to pull back and ask for things to slow down. Trust Me. Take hold of My promise and move forward with confidence in My faithfulness to perform what I have promised."
(Photo via Flickr by photologue_np, license, edited and resized by The Elijah List)
If you keep pressing in, you will eventually break through. God honors faithful persistence.
"You will move forward in the direction you have chosen to lean. Lean toward My grace. Press in toward My faithfulness. Tilt your life in the direction of My promise. This is your act of pressing in. Even in your failure, you will fall in the direction you have chosen to lean. This is how breakthrough will take place in your life.
"I have promised to give you the desires of your heart if you will first delight yourself in Me. Your delight in Me is your persistence in the middle of opposition. I will honor your persistence with breakthrough because you have chosen to press into Me."
Garris Elkins, Senior Leader
Living Waters Church – Medford, Oregon
Living Waters Church – Medford, Oregon
Garris Elkins' ministry, Prophetic Horizons, is a ministry of teaching, writing, and prophecy committed to raising up a prophetic generation to speak to the cultures of our world with the empowered voice of Heaven. Garris and his wife, Jan, are the Senior Leaders of Living Waters Church in Medford, Oregon, and have two grown children, Anna and David.
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March 24, 2014
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Garris Elkins:
From the desk of Steve Shultz:Wisdom is always needed...and increased wisdom is needed in this day in which we live! This is an excellent word by Garris Elkins about "The Father's Wisdom" made available to us.
Be encouraged by this word and by Garris' statement here: God wants to encourage us to keep believing and trusting that He is good and has good things planned for His children. Understanding this truth is the foundation of true wisdom.
Enjoy!
Steve
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Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News
http://www.elijahlist.com http://www.
To subscribe to The Elijah List go to:http://elijahlist.com/
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